Atlantic Puffins

“I realize that the west coast is inhabited by Tufted Puffins but I took the artistic liberty to instead portray Atlantic Puffins
(also known as Common Puffins). With his fabulous head, the puffin looks more like the clown from an ‘I Pagliacci’ opera than
a bird. How could I not explore the beauty of that fantastic head?”

The Tufted Puffin is found in remote island colonies from the Aleutian Islands to Vancouver Island, with the largest
colony found on Triangle Island at the northern tip of Vancouver Island in Kwak-waka’wakw territory. Puffin beaks were
used as cultural decoration and noisemakers. The beaks were attached to dance aprons, cloaks and rattles, and were
common to objects used by shamans. Puffins with their ability to dive and explore the undersea kingdom were often
associated with shamans, and over the years we have seen the puffin depicted on a rattle and as a headdress.

Rex Homan was born 1940 in Thames, New Zealand of Māori, Irish and Scottish ancestry. He lived in Auckland in his early years before moving to the Bay of Plenty. Rex has earned international recognition as a wood sculptor in the 1960s and 1970s and began working in bronze in the 1980s. His current work is influenced by the culture of the Pacific and displays uniqueness in its diversity of form and dramatic flow of lines. Rex has exhibited in solo, group and jury shows. He has won several national awards for “National Wood Skills” and is represented in corporate and private collections worldwide.